AI Engineer
When would you build a fixed workflow with a model at certain steps, versus giving an agent freedom to plan its own steps?
What the interviewer is looking for
- This question tests agents & tool use. Designs tool schemas, step limits, state handling and guardrails, and knows when a fixed workflow beats an open-ended agent.
- Strong answers: Fixed workflows for predictable, high-stakes or regulated tasks, agents for open-ended ones, weighing reliability, cost, latency and debuggability.
- Likely follow-up: How would you migrate from one approach to the other if needs changed?
Another way it may be asked: For processing insurance claims, would you let an agent decide what to do or script the steps yourself? How do you choose?
A structure to follow: Answer, explain, example, limits
- Step 1
Answer
Give your direct answer in the first sentence so the interviewer knows where you are going.
- Step 2
Explain
Say how it works or why you would do it that way, in plain words before jargon.
- Step 3
Example
Anchor it in something you have actually done or seen, with the detail that shows hands-on experience.
- Step 4
Limits
Say when your approach would not be the right one. It shows judgement.
This is guidance on shape, not a script. Use your own real experience and facts; never invent details to fill a gap. See the STAR guide and answer frameworks.
Common slips
- Reciting a definition without showing you have applied it.
- Using terms you cannot explain if asked a level deeper.
- Claiming experience beyond what you can discuss in detail.
How to practise it
Say the answer in 90 seconds, then answer the follow-up as if it were a new question.
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